Hiya Kittyman! Glad Yer back, Sorry to hear that Oscar is going to His last Vet appointment, Angel is doing ok, I guess, She's sleeping now as the changes I made to Her Diet are I hope working as I've seen some changes for the better in Her BM as I think Her dry food was too rich for Her in the recent past, In any case I digress, Angela said It better than I can.Pluto is still a planetBeep! Beep!

I have a kitty with big green eyes......
She sits next to me
and purrs and sighs.

She is happy to be among the ones
I have chosen to have
here among

My thoughts, my computers,
My life.

She purrs so............
A little pet on the head makes magik.
Sooooo wonderful.

If you do not know kittyspeak, I cannot possibly explain this to you.

Unless you are one of the few on the planet the understands 'love' in it's truest terms.

Meow=Love

I am going to have a rough time for the next few days........pardon me if I am not myself. This is going to be very hard for me and Lori. I hope I can pull through without hurting myself. May be hard............................

Some of you just do not understand my pain........
I guess I should not expect you to.......your life is not mine.

Why is it so? I don't know quite why......I only know the reality of my pain.

Beyond that, and my faith in God, I have no answers.

I know I have offended many here, but have made many friends as well........how does that work?

Whiskey helps, but does not heal......I know that. But 30 years of bad road does not lead one to the best possible end. Torn up tracks and such.
And so I am here.

My pain is not yours to bear.......share it if you can, or will.

But I will bear it myself........as I must.

My Squirrel kitty has just set down by me side, purring like the dickens.

Saves me every time. Gawd, I do love cats.

Nobody here knows why......I sing......The Whiskey Lullabye........
Not yours to know.........mine to bear.
No matter how much I try to make you see, you never could.

So little bits and pieces of what I feel are all I can share.
And sometimes it just gets too much to handle by myself and I unload on you all.........
And although I may have worn out the term........I am sorry for that.

Ya know.......the thing is......

Kitties always understand. They always look up at you with those loving eyes.

They know. They always do..........and that's why I love cats. They share both my pain and my love.

Why..........would a 52yo man sit on the couch and cry his eyeballs out over a kitty?

You know? Cuz I have lost track.

Some of you think I am a fool.......which really doesn't matter much to me.

Some of you try to pity me.......which I really don't need that much.

Some of you diss me.......bring it on, bring it on. I will take you all down.

But.....there are but a few of you....just a few of you....who really care and try to understand me.

And you, I treasure.

As for the first question........I dunno. I just cry. 'Sall I can do anymore.......

I can't play God for Oscar.

Although I think right now, I would trade my life just to know he could live another 8 years or so.

He is worthy of that.

Yeah.....a freaking cat.

I luv that cat.

Meow, my friends, meow.

Hey God.......up for a bargain? 'Cus I won't deal with the devil.

And you I still trust. I only wish you could answer me.

I think the Devil is one of My neighbors, Its clear You love Oscar like I love Angel, So far Shes ok, All I can say is give Oscar lots of love as You usually do, As He's a special one to You.Pluto is still a planetBeep! Beep!

Well an 83yo has done the same. I have lost so many over the years. Several lived to 18 years. Rosie made it to 20 years 6 months and 27days. I now have two young cats and 1 old one. He is 14 and a half years. He is healthy, but you know how quickly they can go sometimes. Then it is crying time again.
Best wishes Ed

Do not live your life for anyone else. Do not allow anyone to live their lives for you. Ayn Rand

Although there are tens of millions of feral cats living in the U.S., most people don't realize there is a sensible way to manage and reduce their numbers: Trap, Neuter, and Return or TNR. Tragically, this lack of information leads to millions of cats being killed in shelters every year because they are not tame and therefore unadoptable.
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A stray cat is not a feral cat.

A stray is a cat who has been abandoned or who has strayed from home and become lost. Stray cats can usually be re-socialized and adopted.
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A feral cat is an unsocialized cat.

Either he was born outside and never lived with a human family, or he is a house cat who has strayed from home and over time has thrown off the effects of domestication and reverted to a wild state.
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Feral kittens can be adopted.

Feral kittens can often be tamed and placed in homes, but they must be tamed in their first weeks of life. This is a critical window, and if they aren't handled in time, they will remain feral and unadoptable.
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Feral cats have about the same lifespan as pet cats.

And they contract diseases at about the same low rate. The incidence of disease among feral cats is no higher than owned cats.
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Feral cats should not be taken to local shelters.

Feral cats are not pet cats, and they will be killed at most shelters. Because they're considered unadoptable, they sometimes don't even make it to the shelter but are killed in the animal control truck. Even no-kill shelters are not able to place feral cats in homes.
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Feral cats are not the cause of wildlife depletion.

Studies show that the overwhelming cause of wildlife depletion is destruction of natural habitat due to man-made structures, chemical pollution, pesticides, and drought â€” not feral cats.
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Trap and Remove doesnâ€™t work.

Not only would you have to continue to remove cats, this process is extremely costly to communities. What's more, other cats move in to take advantage of the available resources and they breed prolifically, quickly forming a new colony. This "vacuum effect" is well documented.
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Trap, Neuter, and Return does work.

No more kittens. Their numbers gradually go down. The annoying behaviors of mating cats, such as yowling or fighting, stop. The cats are vaccinated, and they are fed on a regular schedule. This ongoing care creates a safety net for both the cats and the community.

TNR......it works.......

Donating to TNR programs as well as the shelters who care for those who slip though the nets does help.

TNR is controversial, I know. But it has been documented to work if you give it time to.

My own 4 kitties were barnyard cats........they were saved from a life of constant fighting for food and space. Just to survive, much less be loved.

Once cats are truly feral, it's hard to reverse their instincts for survival...... the kittens can be reversed, but the kindest thing we can do for those 'in the field' is TNR.

I support mostly the shelters. But a few bucks to the TNR folks winds it's way to them too.